Terminal velocity

Music Terminals is a new music festival that features a mix of up-and-coming groups and now-classic alt-rock artists

With the demise of the Formoz Festival last year, it looked as if Taiwan had lost its answer to Fuji Rock. But a new summer mecca has emerged for indie music fans.

Music Terminals, an all-day outdoor event that takes place tomorrow and Sunday at Taoyuan County Stadium (桃園縣立體育場), presents two headlining acts from the UK, glam alt-rock band Placebo and trip-hop legend Tricky.

The festival, named in reference to the nearby Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, features more than 30 Taiwanese and international bands on three stages, dubbed Terminals 1, 2, and 3.

The event was conceived by Ouch Wu (吳牧青) and his production company, Straight Music House (直的音樂舍), which has been organizing shows by high-profile international bands. They brought Oasis to Taiwan earlier this year and are organizing a concert by Nine Inch Nails next week [see tomorrow’s story on Page 16].

Wu aims to fill in the gap left by Formoz for a large-scale rock festival that aspires to the level of the UK’s Glastonbury or Japan’s Summer Sonic, events that feature both major pop and indie acts.

Even though Taiwan’s festival “market” is not yet “mature,” Wu wants to make Music Terminals an annual event. For this weekend’s shows, around 3,000 advance tickets have been sold so far. He hopes to sell twice that amount.

Neither Placebo nor Tricky command a mainstream following in Taiwan, but Wu, who is a former music critic for the alternative news publication Pots (破報), considers them worthy headliners for any rock fan.

“These kinds of bands, whether people actually like them or not, they really ought to be seen live,” he says.

Wu also sees Music Terminals as a chance to bring in indie artists who wouldn’t normally draw such large numbers in Taiwan.

ADMISSION: Single-day tickets are NT$1,900 in advance and NT$2,000 at the door; two-day tickets are NT$3,900 for “first class” (also NT$3,900 in advance), which includes access to special areas in front of the stages and all-you-can-drink beer, and NT$3,200 for “economy class” (NT$3,100 in advance)

GETTING THERE: Organizers highly recommend taking TRA trains to Taoyuan Station (桃園車站). A free shuttle bus service will run on constant rotation to and from the stadium, which is five minutes away

The lineup includes Australian band Frente!, which effectively disbanded over a decade ago but reunites occasionally for one-off shows, Japanese singer Kojima Mayumi and German art-pop group Chicks on Speed.

Like Formoz, or any similarly sized event, there will be a number of bands unfamiliar to concertgoers. But one thing that sets Music Terminals apart, says Wu, is a focus on quality rather than quantity in terms of band lineup.

He says that in contrast to many festivals in Taiwan, where “80 percent of the program is bands that simply sign up to play,” Music Terminals has been more selective by choosing fewer bands, and only booking the ones “worth inviting.”

Trip-hop pioneer Tricky (www.myspace.com/trickola), who headlines the festival, made a comeback last year after a five-year absence with his latest album Knowle West Boy, a chronicle of his upbringing in Bristol. After a brief association with Massive Attack, he propelled to fame with his debut album, Maxinquaye, which set the bar for trip-hop fans. The ever-restless and moody musician has spent much of his career dodging labels and genre jumping, delving into everything from aggressive punk to more accessible pop sounds.

Headliners Placebo (www.placeboworld.co.uk) add a twist of androgyny and glam rock to their sex-drugs-and-rock ’n’ roll ethos. Lead singer Brian Molko’s lyrics are full of angst-ridden, heart-on-sleeve musings over doomed relationships and references to blurred gender roles and homosexuality, and over the years band members developed a reputation for drug-fueled escapades and